Monday, September 20, 2010

Belt Drive Betty's Cross-Canada Ride Lit A Fire

If you would like to start a chapter of F.I.R.R.E., contact our Canadian National Chairman - Scott Paulin at: firre@bikerider.com

Renee “Belt Drive Betty” Charbonneau traveled 34 days and spoke to more than 2,000 riders and community leaders in eight Canadian provinces on her Congo of F.I.R.R.E. en route from Alberta to the Wharf Rat Rally in Nova Scotia.

This is her final account of the ride across 8 Canadian provinces that included the opportunity to meet Chelsea and Paul - students at Canada's only high school chopper building class - The Bike Klub in New Brunswick, where she sat on "Betty Bobber."

The bike named after her won the Donny Smith Invitational High School Chopper Challenge.... This is Rene, Belt Drive Betty's story:

The trip was gruelling and satisfying all at the same time. My husband and I crossed most of Canada - 8 provinces inluding 3 territorie - round trip in the same time it took the Motorcycle Ride of Dad 10th Anniversary Tour to cross Canada one way.

We visited about the same number of cities as they did too. It was challenging as we had to travel on average 500 KM per day plus meet people, and for me - meeting with the press and blogging about the trip.

The next time I do something of this magnitude I at least understand more about the time requirements and sponsorship needs to make this happen the way I would like it to.

Pacrim Hospitality along with Choice Hotels supplied rooms for our Awareness Conga and they also supplied special rates for riders who joined us along the way.

The trip itself was impressive and amazing - seeing our country by motorcycle has been rewarding. I have been across by car and train but this was my first time across the country on a motorcycle.

The road between North Bay & Sault Ste Marie in Ontario offer up some incredible sights along te shores of Lake Superior.

If you want to see more, visit my Travel Blogs - the links to them are located on the home page of beltdrivebetty.com/.

It was so rewarding meeting so many that until now I have only known by email or letters, including the Ontario Chrome Divas, Crystal, Danni & Members of the Kawartha's Bikers Church, Pastor Dave & his wife Karen.

It was equally rewarding to have interest for starting new chapters of F.I.R.R.E. - it looks like we will have new chapters in Saskatchewan before long - the paper work has just gone out to Terry Hartshorn and Dave Adrian (Preacher) of the Saskatchewan Lone Wolves. If you are interested in joining F.I.R.R.E. or finding out more about who we are and what we are doing please visit: www.firre.ca/

There will be a SPECIAL F.I.R.R.E Annual General Meeting for October 3, 2010 at the Carstairs Community Hall - 1100 Lackner Way in Carstairs Alberta. The meeting will begin at 2 pm - come find out what is on the go!

We are growing and for a group that is only 5 months old we are doing really well at helping our fellow riders and are working hard to get our three committees up to speed. Those committees are: Rider Down - for rider and family assistance and support, Riders Rights, lobbying and support and Education for both the rider and the general public....F.I.R.R.E. stands for the Foundation for Injured Riders, Rights and Education.

We are in the process of looking hard at how we can work with the Downed Rider Society in Nova Scotia - after a great discussion in Nova Scotia there appears to be great interest in the two groups working together to serve riders and their families...

I hope to see a ton of you get on board because if you read the news feeds at all on http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/ you will see that we need to start working together as a family, a community again. We have to start working on the issues that affect all of us motorcyclists from safety to discriminatory bylaws...if we don't those who are working together - the anti motorcyclists will mow us over and there will be little left of our way of life.United we ride, divided we ride stock or bicycles...